One of the main themes of Ecclesiastes is the reality of Time. Our world is limited by its temporal nature. We cannot know what comes next or even rightly remember much of what has past. With the result that our present is often confused.
But scripture lets us know that there is beauty in every moment of time. God has made it so. Every minute is an opportunity to know and worship God. Every moment is a once-in-an-existence chance to know God by faith.
One of the challenges for us is that God has “set eternity in the human heart”. This means we have a faint idea of forever, an inkling of eternity. But it is too big for us to comprehend. We cannot fathom beginning to end and everything in between.
So we feel pulled between two worlds. We know eternity in our hearts, but we live in a moment. We are bound by Time. We confuse the temporal for the eternal. We tend to act as though material possessions will last forever, when we know deep down they are passing. We can behave as though fame will endure, but our hearts tell us otherwise.
The bridge for this tension is to adopt a true perspective rooted in faith. A perspective that humanity has an incredible opportunity on this earth; the chance to do something the angels cannot – live a life of faith. Put our trust in an Eternity we cannot fully grasp or understand.
We live in Time. And the beauty of each moment of Time is the hint of eternity it alludes to. Each moment has its own glory. Making the most out of our time, no more and no less, is a significant part of living under a true perspective.
The Book of Ecclesiastes is about how to accept a proper perspective of reality. Only then can we make effective decisions about who we trust and how we live. This is the second in a series of six devotionals centered on Solomon’s teachings in Ecclesiastes. We pray it challenges and encourages you.